Peacock Pests, Pandemics & Praise For Essential Workers

It was surprising how well the peacock camouflaged both with the greenery and the cement driveway below. By its less-than-showy feathers, I assumed it was a female.

Apparently, more and more of these peacocks roam freely in neighborhoods that view them as pests. For me, it was a nice change from the usual seagulls, crows, herons, sparrows and robins.

It was rare to see such a bird wild and not behind cages. The bird was interested in the parked vehicle, seemingly trying to figure out how to get inside. It looked a little dejected not finding a way in.

Another rare sighting was the positive signage on a nearby driveway (pictured at bottom). Looks like children were trying to cheer up us walkers going by.

Maybe this theory I've had and that's now being tested is silly and too optimistic.

I have thought that if people throughout the entire globe shared a common enemy, humans from different countries, with differing ideologies, would stop fighting.

This pandemic pest, the COVID-19, and similar yet to be discovered viruses, seem to fit the bill.

Maybe there is a chance, if we ban together and set our sights more on killing what the naked eye can't see instead going to war with one another, sunnier days could be ahead.

Meanwhile, down a puddly path in Vancouver, residents made it loud and clear they appreciate all the essential workers that are seeing us through. They are our rainbows! This is what it was (and is) like to walk down a normally quiet residential street in Vancouver at 7 p.m. Check it out!

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This post will also later be linked to Saturday's Critters HERE.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

Head In The Clouds & Six Feet Apart

Servers at data centers all over our world bridge the physical and virtual. Imagine being without phones, technology or the internet "cloud" that in part enabled me to share photos of real clouds during early morning walks. Such brief jaunts might at some point stop should more people be outdoors as the season progresses.

I went at low populated times and where most people obey the rules to stay apart.

Baby-green willow strands were as sparsely spaced as the walkers.

New-born shoots had sprung up everywhere at a local nature park.

Ghostly figures, wrapped in white, swam the blue sky with broad painterly strokes.

Storm clouds were way off in the distance and the forested park path beckoned.

I saw no puddles, no crowds, but some odd things at my feet begged for attention.

Trees shaped like monsters followed my footsteps with questioning gazes, seeming to ask about life returning to normal. Perhaps life never will. Some new habits could stick and result in a happier planet, even when we no longer need to travel six feet apart.

See more horizons at SKYWATCH.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

Staying Close From A Distance

I am thankful for being able to keep in touch electronically. It's as if all these gadgets and the internet cloud were intuitively designed precisely for this moment in time.

Setting off for some fresh air I saw real and fluffy rolling clouds during my walk.

They, too, seemed to be keeping their distance.

A pair of birds lingered at the water's edge.

They were having a chat ... perhaps making plans.

Nearby I could see construction workers were still on the job. This perfectly fine house was being torn down to make room for something more glamorous.

Before long the walls were down. All that was left was a shed at the back (below) and remnants of a fireplace. Discarding the past was easy to do. Yet, ironically, COVID-19 turned back the clock. For the moment, we travel less and are centered more around home and hearth in our own spaces. For the moment, Earth has a chance to breathe.

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Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

It's Not Personal But Please Do Keep A Healthy Distance

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” - Georg C. Lichtenberg

   

Walking in uncrowded places nowadays, I spied seagulls drawn to herring by the shore. There was NO social distancing among the gulls and I marveled that a short time ago this was us.

Humans gather in tightly packed spaces, hug and shake hands. It is not easy to avoid all that touchy ingrained behaviour but life has changed.

Being a good neighbour now means keeping a safe distance and not overstocking with food or drink. Canadians excel at team efforts so empty shelves where my daughter recently shopped was disconcerting. Perhaps people bought not only for themselves but for self-isolating or quarantined family or friends. There is food in stores generally (see below) and people mostly buy just for two weeks. Shopping prudently, practicing extra hygiene and physical distancing, and not touching our own faces surely will reduce COVID-19 cases and advance the greater good. It starts with each of us … humble beginnings to change habits surprisingly hard to break. Naturally, the hardest habit to break is eating so I was glad to find food on local store shelves.

Explore more at Mosaic Monday and Saturday's Critters.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

From Humble Beginnings

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We sometimes feel quite helpless amid all the complex needs in our world. The impact of one person's actions (even a kind word or simple smile) can appear pointless until we remember that some of the grandest things in life start from humble beginnings.

My footsteps followed a familiar path overlooking Boundary Bay where I saw a well-maintained memorial surrounded by flowers on a strip of parkland facing the view. The stone has been there for years. I didn't know Patty, but she (or he) obviously knew how to grow friendships the way little acorns know how to grow forests with ease.

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Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

More Washing & Less Shaking Of Hands In Our Magical Land

“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ― Henry Melvill

A captured moment in time doesn't convey how beautiful glitter-in-motion looks when the sun seeps through the clouds and casts its silken glow. Standing at the Crescent Beach shore, my gaze turned away from the sea to forgotten gloves on a bench. They reminded me of all the hand wringing and washing we're doing to curtail coronavirus. Although young people are least affected they must also take care. They could possibly bring the virus home to their more vulnerable parents and grandparents. Every person has a hand in how far this will go. As we keep a social distance, how can we doubt our interconnection and how can it be more clear that it doesn't bode well to be careless with mother nature? In search of silver linings, less travel does result in cleaner air.

Explore more of OUR WORLD.

Still the kid I used to be

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle and Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride to view more West Coast scenes.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.